Six players for the New Orleans Saints did not practice Wednesday, and the team's top running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas remained among them, according to the injury report released by Coach Sean Payton.

Robinson and Hartley both said their nicks were minor. Robinson's came on the second play of the Saints 20-10 victory over Pittsburgh, and Hartley hurt what he said was his shin while getting near a fumble on a kickoff return. Hartley said it was, "100 percent, absolutely," that he would be good to go Sunday against Carolina.

Also looking better were starting cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer. Porter, recovering from surgery on his meniscus, was listed as full and Greer remained limited. Still, while Payton stopped short of speculating on their availability for Sunday, it is clear those key players are much closer to returning to action than Thomas and Bush.